Till the end of eternity
by InsomniaticPulse
Summary: Mako has finally figured out who he loves, but will it prevent Korra from leaving? Will she ever return his feelings?


**A/N: So this is my attempt at writing my idea of how Mako was battling his inner demons...I think you can call it that haha. Uhh...I can't think of anything right now so, Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra. If I did, I would've made General Iroh have some sort of love interest in Korra and make Mako fight for her.**

I hate having this insomnia problem. I don't understand why I keep having it. The last time I had it, it was when our parents died. I was plagued with nightmares, each having a different theme yet ending in the same way: them dying. Maybe that's why I'm having insomnia. My confusion between liking these two girls, I mean. I don't understand why though. They're totally opposite. Asami is such a sweet and innocent girl. She could fight even though she can't bend and she does it with finesse and grace. She always makes me feel at ease and helps me be level-headed. Korra on the other hand is…is just crazy. She never thinks out things and always acts on impulse. She's so stubborn and full of pride and it just irritates me. However, there are times where she is actually fun to hang around. She likes to crack jokes about Bo and myself and she always puts others before her. She always has my back and I will always have hers. I will protect her no matter what, especially from Amon. I would gladly give up my life to save her.

Oh Agni._ He sat up with his eyes wide._ Did I just…have I just cleared my head? Okay, Okay let me think about this again. _He closes his eyes again and tries to think hard about Asami. _Asami…Asami's black hair…her gorgeous green eyes…her…hair…. clips….the way her body moves when she bends. The passion she shows when she fire-

_His eyes flash open again._ Oh Agni. I have feelings for Korra. _He blinked a couple times as his lips began to form a smile._ Alright! I've finally sorted it out. _His smiled disappeared and sighed. _I have to talk to Asami first.

"I'm sorry Asami" I said softly as I looked down.

I head a small sigh before she started to speak, "You love her, don't you?"

"Yes" I answered firmly.

She simply nodded and gave me a small smile which shocked me. "I'm not mad, Mako. I like Korra as well and I don't want to see her hurting anymore. Don't look at me like that Mako, I know. I've seen the way you look at her. As long as you two are happy, then I am too" Asami reassured as she walked towards me. "Friends?"

"Friends" I said and with that we hugged.

She chuckled a bit which made me raise an eyebrow. "Go get her" she said as she pushed me out of the room.

I felt a lot lighter for some reason. Maybe it's the guilt I had for being confused that has officially washed away. I didn't care. All that mattered now was Korra. I ran as fast as I could towards her usual spot: meditating on a small hill near the cliff that had a panoramic view of Republic City. To my surprise she wasn't there.

"She's out grocery shopping with Pema. She'll be back soon" Tenzin said as he passed by me.

"Oh" was all I could say and walked away when I heard Tenzin mumbling.

"I hope you're not too late"

About two hours later, Korra and Pema had arrived. I started getting nervous at the whole deal. Pema called me over and I started making my way over when Korra strangely walked away. I found it kind of odd but shooed it away. I started following her, but an arm held me back.

"Help me with dinner, Mako" Pema requested kindly as she walked towards the shelves to get the ingredients. Damn my cursed luck. I guess I'll have to talk to her later.

It wasn't until dinnertime when I was able to see Korra again. As I was setting up the table, I found Bo and Asami waiting on the other side. I simply nodded at them and continued setting up.

"Did you tell her yet?" Asami asked.

I shook my head and I heard my brother sigh.

"Honestly Mako, time is ticking away. The more you stall the less chance you have with her. Oh and when the time comes when you _finally_ tell her, don't screw it up like you did last time" Bo stated with a serious face. I sighed slightly irritated at his assumptions.

"Don't worry. I-"

"Dinner is ready!"

Everyone gathered around the table: all the kids next to Tenzin and Pema on one side; Me, Bo, and Asami on the other; Korra sitting in the center. I kept stealing glances at Korra while everyone was eating. She seemed a little off. She wasn't eating as much, in fact, she wasn't eating at all. She kept staring at her food in a distant gaze.

"what's wrong dear?" I heard Pema ask as I started to eat.

I heard her sigh heavily and put her chopsticks down. I looked around as all the attention was turned to her.

After a deep breath, she opened her eyes, "I'm leaving."

My heart tightened at her words. No, it can't be. I just realized my feelings and now she's leaving? Why was she leaving? Is there a problem? My mind began going through so many possibilities and emotions at once that I barely caught what she said next.

"Since Amon disappeared, Republic City has gone back to its original state. Although there are still some prejudice going around, I believe Tenzin and the Councilmen can handle that. My…My duty here is done for now. I'm going to the Fire Nation to talk to General Iroh about setting up patrol routes around Republic City, the Fire Nation, as well as the Earth Kingdom. He has allowed me to accompany him on this journey not only to find Amon but also to do my duty as the Avatar," Korra explained.

Everyone nodded slowly as they continued to stare at her. I heard light sobs and I turned towards the kids. Jinora was tearing up, while Ikki and Meelo were trying hard not to make it seem obvious. I clearly saw the connection between Korra and the kids and my heart ached even more. I knew their pain.

Bo was the first to break the silence, "When…When are you leaving?" he asked, trying to not let his emotions get to him. It was impossible for him not to bawl, especially about this. I know him and Korra are best friends. I can tell he was trying to stay strong.

Korra breathed out slowly, closing her eyes as she did so._ Agni, Please tell me it's not-_

"Midnight" she said firmly.

My heart felt like it suddenly stopped. Midnight? And she's telling us now? Anger started to get to me, but as I glanced around, my anger began to melt into misery and sadness. All the kids were crying their eyes out now. Bo was bawling just as much as the kids and Asami was crying silently. I sighed mentally frustrated. How was I going to tell her now? I was too deep in thought when I heard her say something.

"Guys don't worry. I'm coming back," she said trying to lighten the mood.

"When?" I had not realized that word coming out of my mouth.

"One year" she answered.

I couldn't handle the pain. I had enough. I slammed my chopsticks down and stormed out of the house. I had to cool off. I walked around the island, trying to calm down my anger and think about what I wanted to do now. _Honestly Mako, time is ticking away. The more you stall the less chance you have with her. Oh and when the time comes when you _finally_ tell her, don't screw it up like you did last time. _I sighed at the words Bo told me earlier. I looked up at Avatar Aang's statue. _Your reincarnation is a real piece of work. _I sighed again and began to make my way towards the house. I have to tell her. I am not going to let her leave without knowing my true feelings for her. With that determination, I turned my heel and headed towards Korra's usual spot. I breathed a sign of relief when I saw her sitting on that small hill and made my way towards her.

"That was very unusual of you during dinner" she said, with her back to me.

I sighed, "We need to talk." She didn't say anything so I continued. "I wanted to apologize for everything that happened. It was stupid of me to let you go alone and you ended up getting hurt-"

"You're forgiven" she said bitterly. She got up leave but I grabbed her arm.

"I'm not finished. Please hear me out. I shouldn't have judged you so harshly the day we met. I know I have been a real jerk and I know I kept throwing my emotions around you, and giving you some false sense of hope. It was my mistake when I assumed you were jealous of Asami. Despite all of that, things began to change and I found myself accepting you into our group. As time went on, even though we always got on each other's nerves, we always had each other's backs. I wanted to be there for you. Then, Asami found out and-" I was cut off when Korra started speaking.

"And you have made your decision. Look, Mako, I get it. Like I said before: you clearly stated how you feel about me. No need to rub it in my face. You're right. You're with Asami and I will leave it at that-"

"Korra-"

"You know I like her right?-"

"Korra-"

"She's sweet and pretty and-"…s_he has you_

"KORRA!" I yelled and she immediately stopped talking.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Look, Korra, she knows about the kiss. She found out from Bo, and she told me it was okay. We agreed to just remain friends. She also knows that-" I started to shift uncomfortably and began to play with my scarf, " she knows that I have feelings for someone else." I heard a small gasp and looked at her. Her back was still turned to me so I continued.

"The one I love, is you Korra. I love you," I confessed. I couldn't believe how hard it was confessing to her, but I felt as if a weight was lifted. I smiled to myself thinking, _Now nothing can separate us-_

"No Mako. I can't" she sighed heavily as if she was about to break down and cry.

My heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. "What…What do you mean?" I said. I swear I heard my voice crack.

She sighed and turned around and faced me. She looked at me in the eyes and then back at the ground. "I got tired of waiting, Mako. Every single day on this island, no matter how hard I tried, it hurt. It hurt like hell. I-"

"Korra-" I began but she beat me to it.

"No Mako, you listen. Yes I got to know Asami and yes I began to like her. I had finally understood why you like her. I...I accepted it. When we were on our way to the island, it hurt so much seeing you with her, but I had made up my mind. As much as I loved you, I had to give you up. It was true, Asami needed you more. Even though we agreed to stay friends, I still had hope. But as the days went on, my hope started to diminish." She was crying now, and it tore me up inside even though I knew I deserved it. She gave out a bitter chuckle as she wiped away some of her tears, "Want to know what the irony is? It wasn't Tarrlok's cuts and bruises nor Amon's torture that hurt me…it was you."

I was frozen in my spot, literally in tears. I couldn't believe what I had done. I had always noticed her sad face every time she thought I wasn't looking, but it never clicked. How could I have been so stupid?! I cursed myself a million times, knowing that nothing will ever repair the damage I had done.

She started to walk away, but I didn't let her do far. I ran towards her and grabbed her arm. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, crushing her back to my chest. I rested my forehead on her shoulder, tears rolling off my cheeks. "I'm…I'm so sorry Korra. I never meant to hurt you. I swear. I'm so sorry for being so stupid and inconsiderate and not noticing it earlier. I don't expect you to ever forgive me and I know this won't mean much to you, but I will always love you. I want you to know that I love you and only you. I will wait for all eternity if I have to."

This was how my dreams went every night. Okay maybe not dreams, more like nightmares. Or maybe they're just recollected memories.

Yeah, my insomnia is back, and this time it came back with a vengeance. I couldn't complain though, I deserved it.

After I confessed to her, she just broke out of my hold and walked away. I watched her sail away on the ship that night, a year ago. It was really difficult to deal with and I tried to not think about it. Bo and Asami would give me sympathetic smiles and the kids would try to cheer me up. In the end, nothing really worked.

Sometimes, I would find myself in front of her room. My chest would always tighten when I help onto the doorknob, hoping she would be there. I would open the door only to find it empty. During those days, I would lie in her bed and think about her. Well, think about the good times our group had and fall asleep there. Bo always had to wake me up and I would realize that I was crying. He ended up 'banning' me from her room.

As I walked around the temple, I stretched my body, trying to ease the knots in my muscles. Last night wasn't as bad, but as I thought about it, that was only a mantra I had to keep telling myself in order to get through the day. I sighed as I walked towards a familiar area. I sat down on that small hill and looked at the ocean. I began to think about her, just her, despite my heart ache. I still haven't let go of her. I haven't stopped loving her. I sighed and touched my scarf, realizing that I had forgotten it. _I must have been so lost in thought that I have forgotten to put it on._ Suddenly, a sea of red began to blur my vision and then everything went black.

"Seems like you forgot something, Cool Guy," she whispered in my ear.

My heart felt like it skipped a beat. It couldn't be…Korra? I yanked the scarf off my eyes and turned around. My breath got caught in my throat as I took in the sight before me. _Korra, in her water tribe attire was here on Air Temple Island, in the flesh. _I released the breath I was holding as my eyes locked onto hers.

"Korra…" I breathed as the corner of my lips turned up.

"Hey Mako, it's been a-" I cut her off as I crushed my lips to hers in a passionate and longing kiss. A few tears escaped my eyes as I continued to kiss her. I felt her tense at first, but immediately relaxed. I slowly pulled pulled away and looked at her through my slightly watery eyes. "I missed you so much," I whispered as I pulled her into a tight hug. I felt her hands snake around me and hugged me back. It felt like forever, even though it was only a few minutes. She pulled away and looked me in the eyes, "Listen Mako, about before-" I placed my finger on her lips to silence her. I shook my head and smiled at her, "It's okay Korra. I deserved it. You know, I'm still willing to wait for you till the end of eternity". I gave her a sheepish grin.

Korra chuckled and shook her head. She grasped my hands in hers. She looked at me again, "No, Mako. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you and then walk away," she bit her lip,"I feel that this is a bit late but consider this my peace offering."

With that, she placed her hands on my face, cupping my cheeks. With a little tug, I fell forward and she kissed me full on the lips. I immediately kissed her back, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her closer to me. We both broke apart, panting and grinning like idiots. I rested my forehead against hers and stared deeply into her eyes.

"I love you Korra," I said as I kissed her on the nose. She giggled and kissed me again on my lips, "I love you too Mako. From now till the end of eternity."

I smiled and sighed happily. I have a feeling that my insomnia is finally put to rest. 


End file.
